In a highly deferential opinion, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the Judge's ruling.

Writing for the Court, Justice John Paul Stevens said that in examining a union's performance, courts "must be highly deferential, recognizing the wide latitude that negotiators need for the effective performance of their bargaining responsibilities."

The clear error standard is highly deferential and is only met when "the reviewing court is left with a 'definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed'" by the district court.

Accordingly, while the board's actions concerning the elections process may constitute evidence in a contest proceeding, the board's decisions are not to be accorded the highly deferential "abuse of discretion" standard of review during a contest proceeding.

For a number of years after he ascended the throne he remained highly deferential to gentry concerns.

Karim himself was observed to be highly deferential towards his father.

The 1993 legislation creating the agency allows the mayor and police commissioner to appoint 8 of its 13 members, an arrangement that has produced a board highly deferential to the Police Department.

Liu Yu was described to be highly deferential and respectful to her, as she was the only mother he knew.

Some have adopted the "de novo" standard of independent appellate review, and others have ruled that appellate judges should defer to the trial court in the absence of an "abuse of discretion," a highly deferential standard.

Judges who evaluate ineffective assistance claims should, in turn, be highly deferential to counsel's decisions and avoid scrutinizing them in hindsight.